Hope Victorious

Last week, during the worship service at my church, I was praying for my son and an unresolved medical issue he is dealing with. During worship I had thought of all that has been required of him, the threat against his well-being, the unknown and my heart filled again with concern and desire.   “God! Please heal him!” was my cry.   As I continued to pray quietly, standing next to him, I heard in the spirit, “shh – be still!”   I was surprised; did the Holy Spirit just “shush” my prayers?!   Isn’t it good to pray?  Are we not commanded to do so?  Philippians 4:6 immediately came to mind:  “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”   Or think of when Jesus was teaching about prayer and told His followers, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   For everyone who asks...

The loss of your friendship is no small thing My heart remembers you and still I love you In me there is a vacancy - the perfect shape of you      I have built a bridge to you Love is a risk – to give and receive Love makes you vulnerable to be hurt We opened our hearts to one another Shared life – joy and pain alike Now the absence of you is painful to bear When hurt and questions get loud inside my mind I return on my knees to the bridge I remember the times we laughed and cried together I rehearse the journey we shared – how you walked with me and I with you We shared strength and faith Walked together in joy and sorrow I remember what I know to be true of you I choose to let this truth rise up above the pain of losing you Questions and things I don’t understand The details that caused this separation I refuse to build a wall of my pain and my confusion      Instead - I build my bridge There is strength in all that we have shared I remember it until I fe...

Imagine holding a promise in the cupped palms of your hands. A precious promise that your nurture with hope. The worth of a promise is determined by the degree of trust and value you have for the one who made the promise. The promise is yours, held in your hands, but it is connected to the one who gave it. Without the connection to the one who made the promise, you hold only a wish… A promise is so much greater than a wish! If you are convinced that the one who made the promise is willing and able to keep it and deliver on it, then the promise is of great value. A guarantee! A promise is both given and received. It is a party of two or more. A wish starts with us and is not attached to anything greater. We are alone to make our wishes come true. But a promise comes towards us from someone else and it is their ability that determines the outcome, as long as we receive the promise.   A promise given, but left unreceived, is a good intention. There are many promises in the...